Relief for Bulldogs with $3m sponsorship

By Melissa RyanJanuary 29 2003

David Smorgon said the new deal was crucial to the Bulldogs.

The Western Bulldogs yesterday took firm steps towards ensuring their future by gaining the financial security that eluded them for much of last year, announcing a club record three-year, $3-million sponsorship deal.

LeasePlan, a fleet management company that last year joined the Bulldogs as a major partner, has stepped up its support of the financially embattled club. It has also offered further significant cash bonuses if the club plays in finals.

The Bulldogs suffered from sponsorship nightmares last season, being unable to secure a major corporate benefactor and left to work out a series of match-day sponsors, of which LeasePlan was one.

The club will post a trading deficit of $2.8 million for 2002, has emergency funding support from the AFL and successfully asked its players to accept 15 per cent pay cuts, while former player Tony Liberatore has recently tackled the club over a claim for long service.

Bulldog president David Smorgon said the new long-term security offered by LeasePlan - with an option for a further three-year deal - was crucial to the club's future.");document.write("

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"I think it's a huge confidence boost. It's still January, well before the season starts. We've been sitting here in previous years in January scratching our head: 'Where do we turn to, we can't find anybody to even talk to about a major sponsorship'," Smorgon said.

"It's a huge confidence boost for the club and I think it's a huge confidence boost for the AFL, who are very keen to support us as a club . . . There's nothing more important in a football club than having a very solid, very secure major sponsor right behind the club."

The financial incentives for the finals mean an extra possible $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the position achieved: reaching the finals, reaching the grand final or winning a premiership flag.

"I think there's potential to earn in between another 10-20 per cent of what we're earning without much trouble," Smorgon said. "We're not counting that in, that's nice to have in the back pocket, so to speak.

"It's important that particularly in a financial position as we're in at the club, that those things are there so you've got something to aspire to - not that you need any more to aspire to to playing finals. But, nonetheless, you get to finals and we know there's going to be some extra LeasePlan dollars."

While this exceeded the Bulldogs' expectations for the major sponsorship component of its finances, Smorgon implored members to again sign up.

"There's no excuses any more for people not signing on. We've got 7000-8000 lapsed members who will be receiving letters over the next few days and (we) hope most of those do the right thing and follow the lead because we still need to get in excess of 20,000 members," he said.

Coach Peter Rohde said the tenure of the deal was just as significant as the cash injection itself.

"We talked a bit about salary sacrifice and those sorts of things, but this is a real bit of positive news, not only the signing of a major sponsor but a three-year tenure is very important to a lot of the players," Rohde said.

Smorgon said there had been no change in the stand-off between the club and Liberatore over his long-service demand.

"The AFL have told him, we've told him and our lawyers have told him that he's not entitled to long-service leave . . . The ball's in Tony's court."